The subject application relates generally to agricultural harvesters. In particular, the subject application relates to a header for automatically controlling a cut height and method thereof.
During a harvesting operation, a header at the front of the harvester cuts ripened crops from the field. The header is attached to the front of the harvester and includes mechanisms, for example, for cutting crops, gathering crops and depositing crops into a swath in the case of a self-propelled windrower or delivering crops to the harvester's feederhouse. The objective of the agricultural harvester is to gather as much crop material as possible when traveling across the field. This can become increasingly difficult as the ground contour often includes crowns and swales resulting in the header missing crops during harvesting operations. As a result, crop yields are lower and wasted crop material is left behind on the field.
Generally, the operation of agricultural harvesters requires substantial operational involvement and control by the operator. For example, operators have to monitor the direction of the agricultural harvester, adjust the speed of the agricultural harvester, and monitor the operation of the harvester's systems. Such operational involvement by the operator distracts from the operator's focus on maximizing the harvester's crop yield.
Many agricultural harvesters today utilize automatic header height control systems to maintain a desired cut height based on the type of crop being harvested. However, conventional automatic header height control systems do not allow the header to drop below the desired cut height set point regardless of the contour of the ground. This causes the header to constantly adjust and miss out on crop material due to changes in landscape i.e., travel over uneven terrain, thereby resulting in lower crop yields without significant manual intervention by the operator. As a result, in the case of e.g., a crowned ground contour, the header would miss crops on the ends of the header because the middle ground sensors would be set or adjusted to the desired cut height set point.
Therefore, there is still a need for a method for automatically controlling a cut height that addresses the foregoing issues of conventional header control systems.